Air chamber for well pumping



June H DURNELL AIR CHAMBER FOR WELL PUMPING Filed June 20, 1950 Ham/d 42 %s022fl10726/Z M 54277216/75266] INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 28, 1932 @NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARQLD G. BURN-ELL AND SAMUEL T. STEEL, F BARTLFSVILLE, QKLAHOMA AIR CHAMBER. FOR WELL PUMPING Application filed June 20,

Our present invention has reference to pumps for deep wells in which the tubing of a pump will have sucker rods for lifting the fluid, and our object is to connect to the tub- L' ing above the working barrel and cups of the well a tubular air chamber which is of a materially greater cross sectional diameter than that of the tubes, and which has its ends or heads provided with openings that aline with the bores of the tubes and have arranged in these openings tubes that extend toward each other and which have their confronting ends spaced a suitable distance away from each other, whereby the fluid column, during the pumping operation will come in contact with the air column in the air chamber and form a cushion to relieve shock when the reciprocating sucker rod makes its lifting stroke, while the space between the lower tube and the bottom of the air chamber provides a fluid pocket.

To the attainment of the foregoing the invention consists in the improvement hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a substantially central transverse sectional view through our improvement connected to the tubes of a deep well pump.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail elevation with parts in section to illustrate a cup element arranged ,on the upper head of the improvement for 5 providing a catch basin therefor.

The tubing pipes for the well are indicated by the numerals 1 and 2, respectively. The tubes 1 and 2 have their ends threaded and are screwed in the reduced neck portions of heads 3 and 3, respectively. The bodies of both of the heads are of a materially greater cross sectional diameter than that of the tubes 1 and 2, the said bodies being round in plan, and the head 3 preferably has its body 5 rounded inwardly toward the left portion thereof. The body of the head 3, however, is of a substantially equal thickness throughout and has its face, between its peripheral corner and its neck concaved, as indicated by the 5 numeral 3 in the drawing. The purpose for 1930. Serial No. 462,668.

the formation of the head 3, especially the concaved wall or outer face thereof, is to prevent metal or rock dropping down the well, as the air chamber is arranged in close proximity to the wall of the well. The neck as port ons of both of the heads 3 and 3' are of a suitable size and dimension to permit the same being engaged by standard size slip sockets should the tubing break at its point of connection with the said heads, this being especially true with respect to the neck of the head 3 and as disclosed by the drawing the neck of this head is exteriorly as well as intcrnally threaded.

The confronting ends of the heads 3 and 3' are reduced and exteriorly threaded and there is screwed upon these threads and welded to the ends of a cylindrical member 4 that provides the air chamber. Any desired number of air chambers may be employed but 7 all of the same are located a suitable distance above the working barrel and the cups carried by the sucker rods of the well. The heads 3 and 3 are each provided with bores 5 in alinement and screwed in the respective bores there is an upper tube 6 and a lower tube 8. The upper tube 6 may comprise a plurality of sections suitably coupled and the lower tube Sis of a less length than the upper tube 6'. The confronting ends of the tubes 6 and 8 are spaced from each other and the said ends are flared outwardly or provided with bell-shaped mouths 9 and 10, respectively. The longer upper tube 6 is held centrally in the chamber 4 through the medium of several open spacer members 11, that are fixed in the chamber 4, or on the pipe 6.

The sucker rod is indicated by the numeral 14. The sucker rod has fixed thereon the usual cups that are arranged at a distance below the air chamber. The rod 14 is reciprocated in the usual manner and by virtue of such reciprocation will lift the fluid from the bottom of the well and direct the same through the tubes 2, 8, 6 and 1. By providing the tubes 6 and 8 with the flared or bell-shaped mouths 9 and 10 the cups will pass freely from one tube into another when inserted in or removed from the well. There is necessarily a column of air in the upper tubes having their confronting ends bellportion of the air chamber 4, and this air shaped and spaced away from each other. column is contacted by the fluid column lift- In testimony whereof we aflix our signaed by the cups on the rod 14, and such air tures. column forms the cushion necessary to relieve HAROLD G. DURNELL.

the shock when the rod 14 acts on its vertical SAMUEL T. STEEL. stroke to lift the fluid. The space between the mouth of the lower tube 8 and the lower head 3, of course, receives a uantity of fluid therein but the overflow of uid will be re- 75 turned into the tubes and this space affords a pocket for sand lifted from the well by the pumps. Obviously the well mayxbe rovided with any desired number of air 0 embers similar to that herein set forth, each of which, so

however, is arranged above in the pipes or well proper, at suitable intervals, according to the depth of the well.

The construction and advanta es will, it is thought, be apparent to those s illed in the .5

art to which such invention relates so that further detailed description will not be required.

If desired and as illustrated by Figure 3 of the drawing we may arrange upon the top of the head 3 of the air chamber a cup-shaped member 15. This member serves as a basin to receive therein metal, rock or other materials that drop into the well to prevent such materials interfering with the operation of w the pump or damaging the same.

From experience we have found that unless the upper tube 6 is rigidly supported by a plurali of the open spacer members I1, the same incident to the vibration to which 3 the said tube is subjected is liable to break at its point of connection with the head 3, and, therefore, it is an absolute requirement that number of such spacer members be employed. Obviously if desired, the tubes 6 and 8 may be in the nature of a single element and may be provided with a series of concentrically arranged openings therethrough which communicate with the air chamber or chambers.

Having described the invention, we claim: v An air chamber designed to be connected with the tubing of a pumping well having sucker rods for lifting the fluid, comprising heads having socket ends connected to two v of the spaced and alining tube sections, said N heads, from their said sockets being gradually widened outwardly, and having their ends provided with peripheral threads, a tubular (5 member screwed on said threads and comprising an air chamber, said heads having bores alining with the bores of the well tubing, and the bores from the inner ends of the heads being enlarged and threaded, tubes having 00 their ends screwed in the last mentioned por- 12;;

tions of the heads, the upper tube being of a eater length than the lower tube, means he dlng the upper tube in spaced relation with respect to the air chamber and in parallehsm with the lower tube, and both of said 133 

